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Guide for IB students applying to US institutions

Guide for IB students applying to US institutions This Guide provides a brief introduction to the US higher education system and its application process, as well as information specifically relevant to IB students applying to US institutions from outside of the US contextMore than 4,500 accredited institutions make up higher education in the US. Unlike in many countries, US higher education institutions are not centrally organized or man-aged, but are autonomous and accredited by indepen-dent regional bodies. Bachelor s degreesThe bachelor s degree is the main undergraduate degree type at US universities and colleges. It is usually complet-ed in four years of full-time study and is awarded after completing a specified number of credits in a major field. students typically earn credits for courses they take, and these credits count towards the completion of a pro-gramme. Every course earns a certain number of credits, and each institution has its own requirement for the number of credits needed to colleges and universities, also called public insti-tutions, were founded and subsidized by US state gov-ernments to provide a low-cost education to residents of that state.

ages 1.1 transcripts per student, suggesting that most students send transcripts to only one institution. It can be assumed that students who sent transcripts to US institu-tions were admitted to those institutions, as by the time IB results are released, students generally know which university they plan to attend.

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Transcription of Guide for IB students applying to US institutions

1 Guide for IB students applying to US institutions This Guide provides a brief introduction to the US higher education system and its application process, as well as information specifically relevant to IB students applying to US institutions from outside of the US contextMore than 4,500 accredited institutions make up higher education in the US. Unlike in many countries, US higher education institutions are not centrally organized or man-aged, but are autonomous and accredited by indepen-dent regional bodies. Bachelor s degreesThe bachelor s degree is the main undergraduate degree type at US universities and colleges. It is usually complet-ed in four years of full-time study and is awarded after completing a specified number of credits in a major field. students typically earn credits for courses they take, and these credits count towards the completion of a pro-gramme. Every course earns a certain number of credits, and each institution has its own requirement for the number of credits needed to colleges and universities, also called public insti-tutions, were founded and subsidized by US state gov-ernments to provide a low-cost education to residents of that state.

2 Public universities generally offer access to re-search opportunities and classes in a wide variety of fields of study. Because of the high number of faculty research grants, public institutions tend to have large departments offering a variety of degrees. These institutions tend to be very large and, because of government subsidies, are typically less expensive to attend than private institutions . Private institutions receive the majority or entirety of their funding from alumni donations, faculty research grants and tuition fees. This typically makes them more expensive to attend, but allows for more resources avail-able to arts institutions offer courses in the arts, hu-manities, languages, mathematics and social and phys-ical sciences. The majority of liberal arts institutions are privateAssociate degreesCommunity and technical colleges are another option that provides two-year associate degree programmes to prepare students to continue studies for an under-graduate degree or help them gain occupational skills for immediate employment.

3 These institutions generally accept most students who apply, regardless of previous academic performance. Most community colleges have articulation agreements with the public universities in the same state; students can complete their general studies at a community col-lege and, if they meet minimum performance standards, transfer to a four-year institution to complete the remain-ing two years of their bachelor s degree. Community colleges are an excellent choice for students who did not earn the IB diploma but wish to study in the and leaguesMany universities are included within popular groups of other institutions . Often these groupings form out of similarities in academic reputation, selectivity or athletic conference. Ivy League institutions , for example, are eight institutions in the northeast region of the US that compete in the same athletic conference; academically, they typically all rank in the top 15 universities in the US.

4 The Ivy League has connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions and social elitism. The University of California (UC) is an example of a public state system. Comprised of 10 university campuses throughout the state, UC refers to California s public re-search universities that offer doctoral degrees. Although each campus is considered selective, the relative selectiv-ity varies between them. The UC has some system-wide admissions requirements and recognition benefits for IB students , but individual campuses may have additional policies. University rankingsNo official ranking system exists for colleges and univer-sities in the US, although there are independent bodies that conduct subjective rankings annually. US universities are commonly ranked among the highest globally, and in most international university rankings the US is the coun-try with the largest number of highly ranked institutions . applying to US universitiesWho to contactUS institutions are autonomous, and students must apply to each institution directly.

5 In addition, application proce-dures and requirements may vary considerably from one institution to another. The Common Application is a not-for-profit member organization that allows students to apply to more than 600 institutions through a single application process, although some institutions might still have additional requirements beyond the Common Application. Popu-larity is growing, but there are still many universities and colleges that do not use the Common Application. Choosing an area of studyAt liberal arts institutions , unless a student chooses a very specific area of study (such as pre-medicine or engi-neering) a major is typically not required until partway through the undergraduate degree. Thus, students usu-ally do not need to indicate their preferred area of study when applying . The first one to two years of the degree will have general education requirements, allowing students to gain broader exposure to a range of faculties before choosing a major to focus the remainder of their courses on.

6 The applicationAdmissions offices at US institutions tend to look at stu-dent performance holistically, taking a variety of factors into consideration in addition to academic performance. Each institution has its own admissions standards and evaluation is no national university entrance exam, but many institutions will require SAT or ACT exam scores. Many applications can be completed online, and most applica-tions will require biographical information and education background (including school transcripts and IB predict-ed grades). It is also common for institutions to request letters of recommendation, personal essays, test scores or proof of English proficiency. students should find out what an application requires well in advance of the appli-cation deadline. Timeline It is important to check the application deadline for each institution, as deadlines may vary, but many are in December or January. Because the US admissions cycle happens prior to the May IB exam session, US institutions base their admissions decisions on anticipated IB scores reported by the student s school in conjunction with the other factors listed above.

7 Generally, after an offer is made, students are required to verify that the predicted results used for admissions decisions were accurate by requesting the IB send their exam results to the institu-tion. Many institutions will accept the IB transcript as a school-leaving credential, but some may require a sepa-rate high school diploma as for IB students Nearly all higher education institutions in the US will consider performance in the IB Diploma Programme (DP) for the purpose of admissions or other factors including granting course credit, advanced standing, scholarships or financial aid. Admissions requirementsMost institutions do not set minimum required scores for IB students . They prefer to take into account a combina-tion of course selection and performance, extended essay and creativity, activity, service activities, interviews or per-sonal statements, letters of recommendation, and often performance on other standardized exams.

8 Additionally, many US institutions look at performance in individual IB courses rather than the collective point total. It is important to keep in mind that selectivity varies greatly between institutions . While most will consider the IB as a pathway, some institutions will expect exemplary performance in their applicants. Other institutions will admit IB applicants with a wide range of requirements are often not spelled out clearly in IB terms on university websites and vary from institu-tion to institution. It is recommended to speak directly with a university representative to gain a clearer under-standing of what level of performance will be likely to gain US higher education institutions offer benefits to IB students . Benefits are is determined by each institution individually, but might include credit for certain IB scores, scholarships or tuition assistance. Some universities allow IB students to enter their institution as second-year students , meaning the undergraduate education will be three years instead of four.

9 DP Course studentsStudents taking DP courses but not the full diploma might be able to receive credit from institutions for individual courses, but policy is also determined by each institution, and sometimes each individual programme or faculty within the institution. Some institutions indicate their IB recognition policy on their gradesIt is important to note that the admissions cycle in the US takes place before IB students even sit exams. Thus, admissions decisions are often based in part on the student s anticipated grades submitted by the school. If a student s final IB scores are significantly below the antic-ipated grades submitted by the school, it is possible for the university to withdraw its offer. As such, it is vital that teachers and schools report students anticipated grades as accurately as possible. This is not only important for students futures, but if a school consistently inflates anticipated grades, it may tarnish that school s reputation with the university.

10 Who sends IB transcripts to the US?In 2014, 759 institutions received 9,0161 transcripts from 8,163 overseas students (although around a quarter of these students hold American passports). This aver-ages transcripts per student, suggesting that most students send transcripts to only one institution. It can be assumed that students who sent transcripts to US institu-tions were admitted to those institutions , as by the time IB results are released , students generally know which university they plan to were sent from a variety of countries. Even the most common countries of origin, China and India, only account for 12% and 11%, respectively, of the total number of transcripts sent to US institutions from abroad. Six of the 10 most common origin countries are from the Asia-Pacific region, with places such as Thailand and Indo-nesia sending numbers comparable with those of the UK. Where do IB students send transcripts? students send transcripts to a very wide variety of insti-tutions.


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